Buoyant food and drink producers from Suffolk and Norfolk are heading across the English Channel on a mission to drum up trade with the UK’s European neighbours.

Fourteen firms ranging from gin distillers to chocolate producers are joining Norfolk & Suffolk Unlimited's inward investment and business growth team to exhibit at Horecava, one of the largest trade shows of its kind on the continent.

The event, staged in Amsterdam from January 13 to 16 January, provides an opportunity for the new brand to promote the area as a leading business location and a key region for food and drink production.

MORE - Netflix, Uber or the Royal family? - What were the best brands of the 2010s?The trade mission - which includes Adnams, Barn Farm Drinks, Chet & Waveney Valley Vineyard, Dinoshakes, Fresh Pod, Freshpac, Harris & James, Hunter And Gather, IBC Simply, Savoursmiths, St Giles Gin, Taste Of Suffolk, The Pickle House, and Wildcraft Brewery - has the backing of the Department for International Trade and New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Last year saw the first delegation from this region head to the catering and hospitality conference, drawing substantial interest and business leads for local producers.

Agri-food is one of the key sectors highlighted by the campaign, along with clean energy and ICT/digital.

LEP chair Doug Field said: "Norfolk and Suffolk is a haven for global food and drink brands and artisan producers. Agriculture is part of our region's past, present and future, so it's little surprise that so many national and international brands choose to call our region home.

"As well as major names like Kettle and Adnams, we have lots of small businesses which are producing top quality food and drink and want to expand their reach, Brexit or no Brexit, and we are here to support them."

Combined, Norfolk and Suffolk produce 11% of the UK's food and drink and is its most productive and profitable farming area, with a substantial and experienced supply chain. The sector is a significant contributor to the UK economy with trade in food, drink and agriculture worth £3.5bn.

Horecava is a Dutch annual hospitality trade fair which has been held in Amsterdam since 1957. It is the largest hospitality fair in the Netherlands, with more than 65,000 visitors each year.